Bioactive properties of elderflowers (Sambucus nigra L.)

Elderflower is a valuable herbal raw material widely used in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry. It is a rich source of bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols (e.g. chlorogenic acid, rutin, quercetin), that are responsible for their health benefits. Elderberry flowers demonstrate mainly diaphoretic, antipyretic, diuretic, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and have been used in folk medicine as remedy for various ailments and diseases. The aim of the study was to evaluate selected bioactive properties of fresh and dried elderberry flowers, depending on the origin. Flowers were collected from three locations of wild elderberry shrubs and from three cultivars (Sampo, Haschberg, Samyl) growing on plantation. Methanolic extracts of fresh and dried flowers were analyzed in terms of the antioxidant activity using ABTS radical method and the total phenolic content by Folin-Ciocalteau reagent method. The results were statistically analyzed by Anova in Statistica 12.5 program. The obtained results indicate that drying process causes a deterioration of bioactive properties of elder flowers. Fresh flowers demonstrated significantly higher antioxidant activity as well as higher total phenolic content than dried flowers. Furthermore, flowers of wild elderberry differed from flowers of cultivated elderberry. In most cases, flowers of cultivars showed higher values of analyzed parameters compared to the wild elder flowers. The highest average antioxidant activity and the highest average content of total polyphenols was found in flowers of Sampo cultivar.